1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to human powered vehicles, and, more particularly, to human powered vehicles accommodating a plurality of riders or occupants.
2. General Background of the Invention
Human powered vehicles accommodating multiple riders or occupants, such as tandem bicycles, have been known for some time. In a conventional tandem bicycle, forward and rear riders, or cyclists, sit in tandem formation (i.e., fore-to-aft, rather than side-by-side). Both cyclists face in the direction of travel, and both have dedicated sets of pedals and cranksets, so that both cyclists may contribute power to the rear wheel. Moreover, in a conventional tandem bicycle, steerable handlebars are grasped by the fore cyclist and coupled to the front wheel via a rotatable fork, enabling the fore cyclist to steer the bicycle. Meanwhile, in a conventional tandem bicycle, a separate set of fixed, non-steerable handlebars may be grasped by the aft cyclist.
While tandem bicycles provide an enjoyable way for multiple cyclists to ride together as a unit, sales of tandem bicycles, to date, have been lackluster. According to statistics published by Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, sales of tandem bicycles in the United States for the year 2010 comprised less than 0.2% of the entire U.S. market for new bicycle sales. Accordingly, there appears to be a need for new ways and approaches to tandem bicycle design to enhance their popularity and to encourage additional sales of tandem bicycles.
Chen, U.S. Pub. No. 2008/0296882 A1, discloses a “multi-mode” tandem bicycle, that is reconfigurable to at least three different seating positions, including both riders facing forward, riders facing back-to-back, and both riders facing each other. Chen requires a complex drivetrain to accomplish this reconfigurable feature, including the use of multiple chains, and multiple sets of drive gears, driven gears, and idlers. Moreover, Chen further requires a complex reconfigurable steering arrangement in order to accomplish this reconfigurability. As a result, the design disclosed in Chen would appear to be relatively expensive to mass produce for broad commercial sales.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide multi-rider or occupant human powered vehicles having a rearward facing rider or occupant.
It is another object of the present invention to provide multi-rider or occupant human powered vehicles having a rearward facing rider or occupant that requires few additional components, relative to a traditional tandem bicycle.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide multi-rider or occupant human powered vehicles having a rearward facing rider or occupant using only a single chain.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent in view of the following specification, drawings and claims.